By Ethan Benedicto
A wide array of talented artists and makers from across the southeast will be opening their doors for visitors to take themselves on a self-guided tour as part of Casey Council’s Open Studios weekend.
Featuring studios, workshops and galleries, the event will be held from 21 to 22 October, giving the public a chance to witness live demonstrations, take part in workshops and explore their own artistic journey.
Narre Warren North wildlife artist Janet Matthews will be one of the many artists showcasing their work for the weekend.
Renowned for her mastery of coloured pencils and graphite works, she has won multiple awards throughout her career as an artist and is excited to show her and her students’ artworks over the weekend.
“I’ll have an exhibition of my work and my students’ work, and I will be there demonstrating and talking to people, with students also working so people can see what they’re doing,” Matthews said.
Casey Council administrators chair Noelene Duff PSM said anyone is welcome to come along and immerse themselves in the artists’ creative process and to learn about their techniques and inspirations for the stories.
“This is more than just a tour, it’s an invitation to explore, engage and be inspired by the intricate threads that weave together the vibrant tapestry of the south east’s creative soul,” she said.
As for Matthews, the weekend gives her a chance to show people the stories behind her pieces, saying that her inspiration comes from “life and interaction” between herself, her family and others.
“If I have a conversation, if I want to talk about how the family get on and there’s a little antic in the family and the grandkids are playing, I put that into my story and I use the birds I like to see around me as my subject matter,” she said.
Matthews chose drawing over painting or watercolour ever since she was a child.
Finding herself with nothing to do, there has always been a pencil in her hand, an instinct to the point where she didn’t notice she had been sketching away the entire time, even until today.
“I’m just so involved in it and I love it so much and I’m just in the moment, so anything with a pencil I can do for hours on end,” she said.
Matthews hadn’t necessarily picked her work to display nature and wildlife, but it came to her more of as a feeling, stemming from her appreciation of their existence.
“If I’m out and about, and even if I’m talking with someone and a bird flutters by, instantly I see it and I’m attracted to it and I then find it very difficult to concentrate on the conversation because I’m more interested in the bird,” she said.
Boasting awards such as the Wildlife Art Society of Australia’s Wildlife Artist of the Year in 2011, 2013 and 2017, and the New York State Museum’s Focus on Nature Jury Award in 2014, Matthews draws for her passion for wildlife and nature first, but also for the people who show love towards her creations.
She said she never realised the impact of her work.
“You know with entering exhibitions and getting my work out there so people can see it, that’s part of my story to the world,” Matthews said.
However, when an art enthusiast who had seen a piece when they were a child contacted her to purchase it, she realised her status as an artist.
“I spend a lot of time in my studio and not out in public so I don’t get that feedback, but it’s things like that when they happen that yes, my work is actually out there at a really high level,” Matthews said.
Drawing for herself due to her love of the process and wildlife had always been her focus, but seeing her art’s impact on others also boosts her motivation.
“I like to draw things that are important to me but I also want for other people to speak the same language, to understand them, so with all those little instances of positivity, it reinforces my decision of art being my career,” Matthews said.
She has multiple permanent collections in places such as the City of Monash Collection, the Gold Coast City Art Gallery and even as far as the New York State Museum, which one day she hopes to visit.
Her studio is open from 10am to 4pm daily on Saturday 21 October and Sunday 22 October at 6 Tom Gearon Court in Narre Warren North.
